Ghost Sense
by Tsuyu Fujiwara
Summary: Supernatural Control Case File: A reaper visits Danny... but not for his soul. She needs his help with a rogue ghost... and she'll gain assistance from the least likely of spirits. - Reviews are appreciated!
1. Ghost Boy

"Ghost Sense" - A Project: Demonhunter Side Story

Author's Notes:

- I don't own what I don't own (but I do own Project: Demonhunter, it's associated characters, concepts of mythological figures, and settings), and I don't actively look for other stories and plots, so if you see something familiar… just remember that by this day and age, everything's been done to death. This is just my take on a span of time with the events therein, and it's really for the development of my characters. It's just easier for me if they go play in worlds that are already established.

- The Hell Council is made up of leaders of the Underworld from around the planet and cover the majority of major belief systems. I mean no harm in any which way if anyone is offended, but I would appreciate if some research was done before flames are passed out.

- If you would like to see any illustrations done to go with these stories, or images of the characters from Project: Demonhunter, please visit the links on my user page.

* * *

_Deep in the Underworld, there stands a place that not many people talk about… largely because they don't know it exists. This is the headquarters of Supernatural Control, lead by the Hell Council. It's members have long since stopped the war between Heaven and Hell, and have come into some semblance of a decent working environment. Gone are the days of epic temptations and salvations, pious heroes and sinful villains… that is not to say that these things do not still exist, but it is now on the shoulders of Supernatural Control to guide the balance between darkness and light._

_The following is one of the many exploits that the employees of this organization have embarked on..._

* * *

"Danny…" A female voice roused the halfa from his sleep. "Danny, get up."

"…Ngh?" One of Danny's eyes cracked open as he attempted to gain consciousness. "Mom?"

As the ghost boy's eyes focused on a woman in dark clothes sitting on the end of his bed, he jumped. The woman smiled at Danny. "Fraid not."

"Who are you?" Danny hissed, trying not to wake the rest of his family.

"My name is Oleander." The woman extended her hand to the boy. "I need to ask a favour of you."

Danny shook the woman's hand. "You're not a ghost are you?"

"Can you see your breath?" Oleander asked.

The ghost boy tried a breath. "… No."

"Then I'm not a ghost." Oleander shrugged. "I do, however, need your help to catch one."

"What do you mean?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

Oleander pulled a photo out of her coat pocket and handed it to Danny. "This man escaped from Hell a few days ago, and my informants say that he's run here. I need your help to track him down and return him to the Underworld."

"Sorry lady, I don't fight demons. Just ghosts." Danny handed the photo back.

"Look again." Oleander stood. "He's just a soul. But he's clever and fast… and I'm on unfamiliar territory, so I need some local help."

"You sure that you couldn't have asked my parents?" Danny looked up. "They're ghost hunters too."

"Yes, but when a soul reaper shows up, the living tend to get a little skittish." Oleander shrugged.

"I see…" Danny nodded, suddenly turning to stare at her when he'd realized what the woman had said. "…Wait, you're a **WHAT**?"

"I'm a level 8 Soul Reaper, and the third seat of Sector B." Oleander smiled. "I'm here because the reapers in this sector can't catch the guy, not to mention that their zone and sector leaders are busy."

"Right." Danny slowly nodded. "So… you just need me to show you around?"

"More or less." Oleander chuckled. "But I wouldn't mind having you along as backup just in case."

"I can do that." Danny sat back a bit. "When did you want to get started?"

"Tomorrow after you get out of school." Oleander handed the boy a black cell phone with a little ghost charm hanging off it. "Call me when you're ready."

"Okay." Danny accepted the phone and looked at it. "But I…"

The halfa looked back up to the reaper as he started, but found that she'd vanished.

"…Great."


	2. Trump Card

Oleander entered the prison in the ghost zone with relative ease, going unnoticed by the inmates and strolling into Walker's office like she owned the place.

"Walker, are you here?" Oleander called out as she sat on the desk.

"What do _you_ want?" The ghostly warden entered the room, glaring at the reaper as he took a seat on the other side of his desk.

"I need a hand." The reaper smiled as she turned to Walker. "Preferably a couple of your guards too."

"And the reason I should help you out is…" Walker rolled his hand.

"Because I know that you're aware of the rogue soul in this sector." Oleander smiled as she removed the picture she'd shown Danny. "His name is Hibiki. I need some help tracking him down and containing him."

Walker picked up the picture and glanced between it's image and the reaper on his desk, before tossing the picture down and leaning back. "Entering the mortal realm goes against my rules. Even for something like this."

"Oh, really." Oleander slipped off the desk to face the warden. "And if I told you I knew about the incident with the Phantom boy?"

"How…" Walker sat up and stared at the reaper. "You're not even from this sector! How did you find out?"

"Nathaniel likes to talk." Oleander smiled. "Are you going to help me, or am I going to speak with Azrael about your self-imposed 'rules' that _you_ don't even follow?"

"You play a hard game, woman." Walker stood. "I'll go. But I think there's someone who'd like to come along."

--

Out in the main room, Walker and Oleander walked up to a table where Skulker, Ember, Technus, Desiree, and the Box Ghost were sitting, chatting amongst themselves.

The warden cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"What rule did we break n….ow…" Ember started up, stopping herself short as she noticed the reaper. "Are you aware there's a reaper standing behind you?"

"I am indeed, Miss McLain." Walker nodded. "…Skulker, a moment of your time?"

The mercenary rose and followed the pair to an empty table.

"What business would a reaper have here in the Ghost Zone?" Skulker sat down and looked at Oleander as she and Walker followed suit.

"For one, I was hoping that you'd help me hunt down a soul." Oleander started. "Unless, of course, that whole 'Greatest Hunter in the Ghost Zone' is all noise…"

"Oh, it's true." Skulker smiled. "Tell me who it is, and they are yours."

"It's not that easy, honeybun." Oleander started. "For one, you won't be doing this alone… and two, this guy has escaped from the tightest security the Underworld has ever known. Every reaper in this sector that's gone after him hasn't even been able to lay hands on him."

"Who else have you hired?" Skulker tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes.

"Who do you think?" Oleander smiled.

"You asked the _ghost boy_?" Skulker started to stand. "I cannot assist you then. He'd sooner turn on me than aid in the capture of your fugitive."

"Oh, but I can convince him otherwise." Oleander cooed. "And I'm sure that I have something to convince _you_ as well."

"What could you have that I want?" Skulker turned back to the table.

Oleander pulled a small piece of tech out of her bag. "One of my associates in Supernatural Control heard about your equipment troubles and made this. It'll purge all unnecessary programming from your suit. You'll have full control over it again."

Skulker regarded the reaper for a moment. "…And you're sure it'll work?"

"Only one way to find out." Oleander offered the device to the mercenary. "I had assumed that the issues between you and Danny could be set aside in the pursuit of Hibiki… I should hate to be proved wrong."

"Wait…" Skulker turned from installing the component. "_**He's**_ the one you're hunting?"

"I am." Oleander removed a photo and set it on the table. "He escaped from Hell three days ago and he's loose in Amity Park."

"You've got yourself a deal." Skulker perked up and held his hand out to the reaper, who shook it.

"Wonderful." Oleander smiled, turning to Walker. "Warden, let's go back to your office and talk strategy."


	3. Study Hall

Between classes towards the end of the school day, Danny stood at his locker staring at the small cell phone.

"Neat phone, Danny!" Tucker appeared over the ghost boy's shoulder.

"Oh, what a cute little charm too!" Sam grabbed the phone out of her friend's hands. "Where did you get it?"

Danny looked around to make sure no one was listening in, and leaned in close to Sam and Tucker. "A soul reaper gave it to me."

"…Dude, that's not funny." Tucker started.

"Do you see me laughing?" Danny stared at his friends. "I'm meeting her after school to help her hunt down some guy that she said escaped from Hell."

"Why can't she do it herself?" Sam asked.

"Because she said she wasn't from around here." Danny shrugged. "And personally, I'd rather not be known as the ghost boy that said 'no' to a reaper."

"Do… you want us to come with you?" Tucker started.

"I don't know if it's a good idea." Danny scratched the back of his head. "Oleander said this guy was pretty hardcore. …And that the living tend to freak out around her."

"We can always keep an eye on you from the sidelines." Sam shrugged. "…They'd be the sidelines down the block… but we'd still be close enough to give you a hand."

"I suppose. I'll ask Oleander if it's okay." Danny nodded, shutting his locker.

On the other side stood Dash and Kwan.

"So you've got a new little girlfriend, Fentina?" Dash started, grabbing the phone. "Maybe I should give her a call and let her know that you'll be late. You can see her after _practice_."

"I don't have time to play 'tackle block' with you, Dash." Danny made a grab for the phone, but it was lifted out of his reach.

"_**Mister**_ _Baxter_." A female teacher made her way purposefully down the hall towards the group. "Return Mister Fenton's property to him _immediately_."

"We were just goofing around, _right_ Danny?" Dash put his arm around the younger boy and shoved the phone into his hands.

"Uh…" Danny blinked, realizing that the woman standing in front of them wasn't human, but Oleander in a mortal guise. "Sure."

"Mister Baxter, I catch you going near him _again_ and I will make **sure** you're suspended from the football team for aggression." Teacher-Oleander crossed her arms and stared down the student. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Dash nodded and dragged Kwan off.

"Huh. I thought the faculty was on _Dash's_ side." Sam looked up at the woman. "Are you a sub or something?"

"Something like that." Teacher-Oleander smiled. "Danny, I did some more research and I had to change our plans a wee bit."

"What do you mean 'a wee bit'?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Warden Walker and Skulker are joining us." Teacher-Oleander shrugged. "I need to make sure that Hibiki goes down _permanently_."

"Wait… you're the soul reaper?" Sam's eyes widened.

"Oleander, at your service." The reaper bowed slightly. "And don't worry… I'm _way_ out of my jurisdiction here. I just need to return an errant soul to the Underworld, and I'll be on my way."

"Why did you ask Skulker and Walker?" Danny interrupted. "I thought you said you needed _my_ help."

"Oh, I do, sweetie, I do. But if a dozen reapers couldn't bring him down, you and I, no offense, stand little chance." Oleander's face registered a bit of melancholy. "You're going to have to trust me on this one. Besides, I've got them both in my pocket. As long as you focus on the task at hand, they've promised to leave you alone."

"I'll try." Danny nodded half-heartedly. "…I thought I was supposed to call you after school got out."

"Like I said, change of plans." Oleander shrugged. "I already talked to the principal."

"Define 'talked'." Danny crossed his arms, unimpressed with the reaper's recent actions.

"I told her that your parents hired me to tutor you. She said that I might be able to help out some of the other students as well, so she hired me as a part-time teacher." Oleander smiled. "She knows that I'll be leaving soon, so don't worry about it. …Speaking of which, you and I have 'study hall'."

"Not to be rude, or anything, Miss Reaper, Ma'am…" Sam looked up at the curly-haired woman. "Tuck and I are Danny's… backup… if you will. If he's going, then we should go too."

"Fine with me." Oleander smiled wide. "And please, child, call me Andy."

Oleander motioned towards the library. "Come on then. We've got some planning to do."


	4. Rooftop Greeting

"When did Andy say they'd meet us?" Walker lowered the binoculars he'd been looking through to look down at Skulker as he and the mercenary perched on a downtown rooftop.

"After the whelp's classes ended." Skulker accepted the binoculars from the warden. "…Are you sure your men need to be here right now?"

The mercenary jerked his thumb towards a few of Walker's guards, who were further back on the roof and currently occupying themselves in a card game.

"I figured the more eyes we have now, the better chance we have of spotting the perp." Walker shrugged. "You never know."

"…Never know what?" A voice that belonged to no one on the roof piped up.

"When the ghost Andy's chasing would show up." Walker answered. "Weren't you… listening?…"

Pausing for a moment, the pair turned to see a Japanese man in a blue yukata smiling innocently, hovering just off the edge of the building like he was standing on the air itself.

"_**YOU!**_" Skulker and Walker caught up their weapons and started firing at the spectre, who just stretched around the bullets, dodging them with ease.

Extending his neck out towards the mercenary as Skulker went to reload, Hibiki smiled cruelly. "I will _not_ be returned to Hell. _Least_ of all by the two of you."

Before Skulker could react and grab the ghost, Hibiki vanished into separate balls of foxfire and disappeared.

"What are you waiting for? We have to get to Andy!" Walker glared at his dumbstruck guards as they scrambled to their feet, trying to keep their distance from Skulker, who was fuming as he angrily jammed another clip into his gun.

--

Inside the school's library, Danny and Tucker were showing Oleander maps of the city while Sam read an Edgar Allen Poe anthology, warily stealing glances at the reaper from over the pages.

"…He might go to the cemetery, but most of the ghosts we fight don't bother with it." Danny pointed to an area in the northern section of the town.

"We should check it out just in case. You never know… Hibiki never _was_ very stable in life." Andy shrugged.

"How did he die?" Sam asked, gaining the reaper's attention.

"Well… he was obsessed with the occult in life, mostly the bakemono that existed in Japan. I think he had tried to summon Ao-Andon during Obon…" Oleander started, catching the odd look from the children. "Um… it's like Halloween, but it's in August… and revolves more around ghost stories and revering the dead than it does about giving out candy to appease evil spirits."

"Okay." Sam nodded appreciatively.

"When I got there, not only did he fail to summon Ao-Andon, but he'd died of heatstroke and a heart attack. It's like he'd scared himself to death." Oleander shrugged. "He went downstairs pretty easy under the pretence of meeting the mythological creatures that he'd been infatuated with in life… but he got bored and escaped."

"He got bored?" Danny looked up from the map.

"You would too if you spent a hundred years trying to scare the dead with ghost stories." Oleander snickered. "He found out that he could manipulate his form… sort of shapeshifting, really… and escaped as a will-o-the-wisp."

"Then shouldn't Danny be researching these spirits instead of looking at a map?" Sam cautiously inquired, looking up at the reaper.

"I thought that's what you were doing." Andy tilted her head at the girl. "You and Tucker said you wanted to come along… I thought you'd be the spirit expert."

"Well… not really." Sam shrugged. "I mean, most of the things that attack us around here are pretty set in their ways… and it's either a well known legend… or the research is easy enough."

"I see." Oleander nodded. "Well, we're dealing with a _really_ weird kid. He knows what gets a scare in Japan… I don't know if he's aware of the customs in this country…"

The reaper paused for a moment. "Speaking of which… I haven't done a lot of research on American spiritual behaviour. Is it normal for ghosts to have extendible necks, an extra mouth in the back of their head, or no facial features whatsoever?"

"No, no, and sometimes… but rarely." Danny ticked off the answers on his fingers.

"Then you kids are going to want to read this." The curly-haired reaper pulled a large book out of her bag titled '_Obakemono and You: A Definitive Guide to the Spiritual Nature of Asia_'. "It might save your lives."

"…Um… speaking of which…" Sam started. "How… ah, that is… are we…."

"Go on, dear. I don't bite." Oleander smiled.

"That's sort of what I'm worried about…" Sam half-smiled. "Are we really going to be safe around you?"

"Oh, of _course_, sweetie." Oleander nodded. "I had Azrael make me a local-area reaper's ban for the extent of my stay. Unless someone's name is_indelibly_ on the list, nobody's going to die while I'm here."

"That's good to know." Sam smiled, realizing a moment later what the reaper had just said. "… Wait, you mean Azrael, the _Angel of Death_?"

"He's my boss." Oleander nodded. "He's a pretty cool guy, all things considered."

"I see." Sam nodded slowly, turning her attention to the giant book.

* * *

A/N: If you're unfamiliar with Japanese spirits… well… we're gonna have some fun. They are STRANGE. And by strange I mean… well, you'll see.

**Mythology**:

Ao-Andon – A popular Edo period pastime involved _'hyaku monogatari'_ (one hundred stories) where people would gather in a room where a hundred candles would be burning inside _andon_ lamps covered in blue paper. One hundred frightening tales would be told, and a candle would be extinguished after each one. When the last candle went out, the Ao-Andon demon was said to appear from the darkness. This 'game' is normally played around Obon.

Obon – A Buddhist holiday to honour the departed spirits of one's family. It traditionally includes a dance festival and care of the family grave sites and is held either between July 13-15 or in the middle of August. On the last night of Obon, paper lanterns called 'toro nagashi' are floated down a nearby river to guide spirits in their journeys into the afterlife.


	5. Safe Place

Walker floated up to the library window, where he could clearly see the children and Oleander. Motioning for his guards and Skulker to stay out of sight, the warden tapped quietly on the window.

Realizing that the group couldn't hear him, Walker tapped a little harder, and beckoned to Oleander when the reaper looked over.

"What are you doing here?" Oleander asked, opening the window. "It's the middle of the day!"

"I know… but we have a situation." Walker shrugged sheepishly. "We spotted Hibiki a few minutes ago."

"Did you engage him?" Oleander leaned on the window frame.

"Yes ma'am… but… well…" Walker doffed his hat and scratched his head. "He took off before we could catch him."

"That's fine." Andy waved off the warden. "At least we know he's still here. Go back to where you saw him and look for anything suspicious. He'll most likely try to hide or… knowing him… he'll be trying to scare innocent people."

"Right." Walker returned his hat to his head and motioned for his guards to head out. As they started walking away, Skulker approached the window.

"Is there anything specific we should be keeping an eye out for?" Skulker looked up at the reaper. "I like to know my quarry."

"Anything that seems out of place. Walls where they shouldn't be. Strange animals, disembodied noises, people that don't look like they belong there. _Constantly_ check your peripheral vision." Oleander instructed. "He knows a**lot** about Japanese legends, but nothing about North America. If you're lucky, he should stick out like a sore thumb."

Skulker nodded, and as he turned to leave, Oleander put a hand on his shoulder.

"Here. Take my phone. Call me if he shows up again." The reaper handed the mercenary a cell similar to the one she'd given Danny. "And remember. I want him apprehended. Pursue him no matter what, but I want him in one piece."

"We'll try." Skulker tucked the phone away and flew off to catch up with Walker.

As Oleander turned back to the room, Danny and Sam were standing in front of her.

"What was that about?" Danny asked.

"They saw Hibiki." Andy shrugged. "I told them to go back out and keep an eye open for him."

"Should we go too?" Sam started. "I mean… school's almost over."

"I wouldn't want to get you kids in trouble." Oleander shook her head.

"We wouldn't be getting in trouble if you were to take us on, say, a field trip." Tucker piped up from the table. "You could tell Principal Ishiyama we were going to see a historical location for a project… or something."

"…Okay." Oleander crossed her arms. "I don't like to lie anymore than I have to… but I suppose this is for the best."

"And we could always start in the historical part of the city… then it wouldn't be a total fib." Danny offered.

"All right. Go get your things." Oleander nodded, shooing the kids off.

--

"…Are you sure that it's safe to take the kids there?" Principal Ishiyama looked up at the disguised reaper that stood in front of her desk.

"Absolutely. I want them to understand where they come from, not only genealogically, but through their community as well." Oleander nodded. "By learning about the people who built this town and those that have lived here before, they learn more about themselves and have more respect for where they live."

"I _am_ always appreciative of respect…" The principal nodded, leaning back in her chair slightly. "All right, but make sure you don't go anywhere that's off limits."

"I will, ma'am." Andy nodded. "Those kids will be in absolutely safe hands with me."


	6. Graveyard Shift

A/N: I now realize how annoying it is to have three characters in a story whose names all end in '-ker'

/dies laughing/

On with the story then!

* * *

Oleander and the kids met up with Walker and Skulker outside the Amity Park Cemetery's gates as dusk started to creep up on the town. 

Danny kept shooting glares at Walker and Skulker as the reaper went over the plan for that evening's search, the halfa's gaze being met with similarly menacing looks.

"…Sam and Tucker, I want you two to stay on guard while you're out with us. I'll give you some things to ward off Hibiki if he decides to go after you… which he hopefully won't." Oleander explained.

As she turned to speak with Walker, she noticed the three spirits had moved into a full-fledged stare-down contest.

"Gentlemen…" Oleander cleared her throat. "_Hello_… fellas… I'd like to get some work done today…"

Realizing that she wasn't getting through to them, Oleander chuckled and turned back to Sam and Tucker. "You two might want to get behind me."

Tucker and Sam exchanged a slight glance, but quickly complied, giving the reaper some room as well.

Oleander removed a short staff from her bag, twirling it slowly in her hand and flicking it open into a six foot long serrated monk's spade, thrusting the large flat blade into the ground between the mercenary, warden, and halfa, breaking their view of each other with the jagged crescent.

"_**Gentlemen**_." Oleander's voice was firm to the point of alarming, and raised just enough that she caught the full attention of the trio. "_If_ you wouldn't mind… I would like to delegate your tasks now."

"Sorry about that." Danny shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned to give the reaper his attention.

"I want you all to know that I need a united front on this." Oleander's expression softened. "You are here because I cannot do this alone. If you continue to fight amongst yourselves, it will be like you're not here at all."

Walker and Skulker looked away in separate directions for a moment, before returning their gazes to the reaper.

"Thank you." Oleander pulled out the map that she'd been working on with Danny and Tucker. "Walker, I need you to station your men around the city's perimeter. They are _not_ to engage Hibiki. If all else fails, tell them to act like he wasn't even there. I don't think he'll leave the city until he's acknowledged, so let's make it as difficult as possible for him."

"How are we to catch him then?" Skulker asked.

"You leave catching him to me." Oleander smiled as she leaned slightly on her weapon. "I was the one that took him in last time, so I know what to expect. Your job is to drive him somewhere that will make him powerless."

"You have a trap set up?" Tucker tilted his head slightly.

"Not as much." Oleander shook her head. "If we can get him somewhere that's brightly lit and enclosed, he'll panic because he needs space and darkness to be effective."

The reaper turned to Danny. "Did you bring the Anti-Creep Stick?"

"Yep." The halfa pulled it out of the duffle bag of Fenton tech that he'd brought along.

"Good." Oleander handed it to Sam. "You know what to do with it, right?"

The goth girl nodded, putting it into her own bag.

"Now, before we split up, I want to give the living an edge." Oleander dug around in her bag and came up with three necklaces. "This contains some very powerful wards and talismans. You don't have to do anything while you're wearing them, but if you happen to get into a dangerous spot, smash it open."

"What does it do then?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know." Oleander shrugged. "Azrael gave them to me before I left. He said that they'd come in handy. Hopefully we won't have to find out."

Sam and Tucker put the talismans on, but Danny just looked at the one the reaper gave him.

"I'm going to be a ghost most of the time… why do I need one?" The halfa looked up at Oleander.

"For those few moments that you might not be of the spirit realm." Oleander answered, as Danny nodded and placed the chain around his neck.

"Are you guys all set then?" Oleander asked the group, who gave various positive answers. "Good. Walker, you're with me. Danny and Sam, you two head downtown. Skulker, take Tucker and head back to the school. If anything should happen, contact me _immediately_. I'd rather not have to do any more paperwork than I need to after this."

* * *

Weaponry Note: Oleander and the other Sector Leaders carry a Monk's Spade, rather than the usual scythe. It has two blades, one that resembles a shovel on one end, and a center-mounted crescent on the other. Shaolin monks were among the first to carry them, and the most famous would have to be the one Sha Goyjo carries in Saiyuki. 

All the sketches I've done so far can be seen on my profile page. C:


	7. Don't Go Out Alone At Night

A/N: Fun tiem begins nao. Have a big long chappie.

* * *

Streetlights began to flicker on as Danny and Sam made their way around downtown Amity Park. 

"Why do these things always have to happen at night?" Sam lamented, shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"Because that's when all the creepy things come out" Danny put on his best 'creepy' voice as he crept up behind Sam, hands raised to grab her in jest.

"Knock it off." Sam rolled her eyes and started walking away from the halfa. "I still don't see why Oleander can't take this guy down himself. I mean… what could he possibly be capable of that… oof!"

The goth girl was cut short as she walked into a wall standing in the middle of the street.

"Weird place to put a wall." Danny walked up to the stone slab and ran his hand along it's surface.

"I don't think it's a wall." Sam started, as she tried to get around one side of it, only to have the wall extend to block her path.

"Do you think it's him?" Danny asked, as he and Sam backed away and turned to walk in the other direction, only to have the wall reappear on the road in front of them.

"Pretty sure." Sam checked over her shoulder, nodding when she saw nothing behind them.

"Oleander said that she doesn't want me to fight him… so what do we do?" Danny asked, as Sam pulled out the book she'd been given earlier and started to flip pages.

"I read something about it in here…" Sam frantically searched for the entry as Danny read over her shoulder, not noticing that the wall was starting to tip towards them until it's shadow fell over the pages of the book.

The ghost boy became intangible as he pushed Sam out of the way, the goth girl landing safely on her rear a few feet away as the barricade shook the ground with it's impact.

Sam scrambled for the book as the wall righted itself and Danny took up a protective stance between the girl and the slab.

"Here! It's a Nurikabe!" Sam quickly skimmed the page until she came to the section on dealing with the creature in the field. "Danny, get the bat!"

"What's the Anti-Creep Stick going to do against a giant WALL?" Danny asked, as he retrieved the item from the ground where it lay a few feet away from the pair.

"I don't know! The book just says to hit it at the bottom!" Sam openly shrugged as she gathered the book and got to her feet.

"Okay…" Danny wound up and whacked the wall at it's base, making it disappear.

"…Where did it go?" Sam asked, as Danny looked around for the demon.

"I didn't hit it _that_ hard…" Danny shrugged, giving Sam the bat to tuck away in her bag. "But it's not here now. Let's keep going."

--

On the way back towards Casper High, Skulker kept an eye about him as he walked a few paces ahead of Tucker, who was busily plotting their path on his GPS.

"I don't see why you couldn't just fly us there." Tucker started up, gaining the hunter's attention.

"I do." Skulker started, crossing his arms. "Oleander gave me a device to finally purge that stupid program from my suit. You're not getting anywhere near me again."

"Oh, come on! You were trying to kill my best friend! It was self-defense." Tucker caught up to the hunter and stopped in front of him. "… And my feet hurt from all this walking."

"You should have thought of that before, then." Skulker shrugged, stepping around the boy to continue towards the school. "Consider yourself lucky that you're not walking _alone_."

The technophile grumbled under his breath and jogged to catch up with the mercenary.

"I don't see why you have to be such a sore loser about that…" Tucker started, cutting himself short as his phone went off. "Y'ello?"

"Have you guys run into anything weird yet?" Sam's voice came across the line.

"Nope… why? What happened?" Tucker answered, turning the speaker on and getting Skulker's attention, beckoning the mercenary over before he'd wandered too far.

"We just got attacked by a giant wall." Danny's voice joined Sam's. "It just about crushed us."

"Was it Hibiki?" Skulker asked, leaning over the mortal's shoulder.

"Probably. I've never seen anything like it before." Danny responded. "Let us know if you run into anything strange."

"Okay." Tucker answered, ending the call. Turning to Skulker, he continued. "We should probably hurry up."

"After you." Skulker motioned to continue down the street.

"Thanks." Tucker rolled his eyes.

As the pair continued, Skulker looked slightly over his shoulder when he heard footsteps approaching them.

"Do you hear that?" Skulker stopped in his tracks, silencing the footsteps as well.

"Hear what?" Tucker raised an eyebrow.

"I could have sworn I heard footsteps." Skulker frowned, turning back to look down the empty street.

"Must have been an echo." Tucker shrugged, continuing to walk.

A few minutes later, the footsteps returned, now loud enough for both of them to hear.

"That's not an echo…" Tucker stopped, warily tossing a glance of his shoulder.

"Call the girl." Skulker popped up one of his wrist cannons, and aimed it down the street behind them, motioning for Tucker to keep walking with his free hand.

The phone rang twice before Sam answered. "What's wrong?"

"Does the book say anything about footsteps?" Tucker started, as the disembodied steps quickened to match the pace he and Skulker were travelling at. "There's nobody attached to them… and I'm getting a little freaked out."

"Footsteps… footsteps… here we go!" Sam leafed through the book. "It's a creature called 'Betobeto-san'. Go stand on the side of the road."

"O…kay." Tucker beckoned for Skulker to follow him onto the sidewalk.

"Now, say 'Betobeto-san, please go on ahead'." Sam continued.

"What?" Tucker deadpanned at the phone. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Sam answered.

"What did she say?" Skulker looked down at the boy.

"We have to stand over here and let it pass." Tucker explained. "And she said we have to say 'Betobeto-san, please go on ahead', otherwise it won't leave us alone."

"You're kidding, right?" Skulker raised an eyebrow.

Tucker shrugged, and Skulker crossed his arms. "That's just foolish. I'm not doing it."

"I don't think we have a choice." Tucker started. "It might manifest as _more_ than just footsteps if we keep going."

"_Fine_." Skulker huffed, shooting a dirty look down the street as the footsteps drew closer.

The pair recited what Sam had told them, and the footsteps stopped.

"I still say that was a fool's errand." Skulker grumbled as he and Tucker continued.

"At least it worked." Tucker shrugged.

Skulker grunted in response and shoved his hands into his pockets.

--

Oleander and Walker made their way through the park towards the Nasty Burger, walking in relative silence.

"…None of your men have reported in… I suppose that's a good sign." Oleander started, startling the warden slightly.

"I hope you're right." Walker nodded. "But if that kid's skipped town…"

"I don't think that'll happen." Oleander crossed her arms, rubbing them to warm herself up. "Everyone knows Amity Park is a spiritual hotspot… and Hibiki's energy signature is unique, even for this area. He's still here. I can feel it."

"…Are you cold?" Walker looked over at the reaper, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine." Andy chuckled. "I'm just used to working in warmer climates."

"Here." Walker removed his overcoat and handed it to the reaper. "I know… you're dead… but still. Take it. I don't really need it anyway."

"So it's true then…" Oleander smiled to herself.

"What's true?" Walker gave Andy an odd look.

"Chivalry _is_ dead." The reaper laughed. "I always did wonder what happened to it."

Walker shook his head, trying to suppress a chuckle of his own. "That's awful."

"What? You've got a 'no bad jokes after 8 pm' rule now?" Andy asked.

"No, but I could write one." Walker threatened jokingly. "It'd make the world a better place, that's for sure."

Andy shook her head in pity. "You're incorrigible."

Before Walker could make a comeback, the trees started making rainstick-like sounds.

"What's that?" Walker looked around, trying to perceive what was making the noise.

"Forest spirits." Oleander waved off the warden's worries. "It's fine. They're just saying that this area is clear."

"How do you know that?" Walker caught up with the reaper as she quickly headed towards the city.

"I've reaped enough shaman in my time to know some things." Oleander smiled.

"Fair enough." Walker shrugged. "Did they say anything else?"

"No… but I can see Hibiki from here." The reaper motioned to a pile of skulls rolling along in the street. "Oi! Yamero!"

The skulls stopped and turned to face the reaper and Walker as they approached, piling up on top of one another until they were at the same height as Oleander.

A pair of eyes appeared in the sockets of the topmost skull, the bones of the orbit narrowing into a glare. "…No."

The pile fell apart, sending skulls flying as they smashed into the ground and disappeared.

"…Great." Andy turned to face Walker, who was still trying to wrap his head around what just happened.

"I thought you said it was a kid!" Walker motioned behind the reaper, where the last fragments were dissolving into the street. "Kids _don't_ turn into rolling piles of disembodied skulls!"

"Hibiki _is_ a kid." Oleander huffed, turning away from Walker. "…Given, he's a really weird kid with a couple thousand years of mythology in his pocket… but he's still a kid. He wants to play 'Let's Scare the Crap Out of Everyone', but it doesn't work here like it would back home. He's getting aggravated because people aren't responding the way he thinks they should. I suppose that's what you get for having a population that's desensitized to ghosts… and a time gap of a couple hundred years."

"Then let's tweak the rules to his little game and bring him in." Walker put a hand on the reaper's shoulder. "Meet me at the fountain outside City Hall in ten minutes. … I know it's cheating, but I'm going back to the Ghost Zone to grab a couple of fellas that we might find useful."

"In that case, here." Oleander pulled out her Monk's Spade and struck the ground with the crescent blade, opening up a staircase that descended into the earth. "Nothing in the rules says you can't take a shortcut."

"That's true." Walker smiled as he floated down the steps, the ground closing up after him.

* * *

**Mythology/Language**: 

Nurikabe – A large wall-shaped demon (sometimes with tiny arms and legs) that appears in a traveller's path at night. Trying to go around the wall will either make it extend forever, or it will fall on it's victim in hopes of crushing them. Trying to turn around is useless as well, because the wall will merely appear in front of them again. The only way to get rid of a Nurikabe is to hit it at the bottom with a stick. This demon was blamed often by people arriving late at their destination. Made famous by the Thwomp in the Mario Bros. games

Betobeto-san – A demon that follows travellers at night, and only manifests as the sound of footsteps. It's said that if you stand to the side of the road and say "Betobeto-san, please go on ahead," the footsteps will stop and you can continue in peace.

Ko-dama – Nature spirits that normally inhabit trees of great age. Cutting down one of these trees is said to bring disaster to the entire village. They are known to play with and mimic human voices. Even though they are known to be mischievous, they are always benign. Kodama were featured in Princess Mononoke

Me-kurabe – "Staring Contest" – Taira Kiyomori, a somewhat notorious figure in Japanese history was said to have gone mad towards the end of his life, and was haunted by supernatural visions. One day when he was looking out into his courtyard, it filled with human skulls that rolled back and forth. Kiyomori was unmoved by this and looked for a living culprit. As he did, the skulls began to roll together on their own, creating a huge pile, all glaring bitterly at him with eyes like the living. People say they might have been the begrudged spirits of those lives he had cut short. Still unfazed, Kiyomori grunted and stared right back at the skulls, which vanished without a trace.

Yamero – Stop!


	8. Postphoned Meeting

A/N: Everyone having fun so far? I hope so It's only getting worse. XD And by worse, I mean better. And by better I mean… well… read on!

* * *

Outside City Hall, Oleander sat patiently on the edge of the fountain, waiting for Walker to show up. 

"It's a little late to be out and about on your own, now, isn't it?" A deep voice caught Oleander's attention, and the reaper turned around to see Vlad Masters descend the steps of the building.

"Oh, no, I'm fine… I'm just waiting for someone." Oleander smiled and waved off the elder halfa.

"It wouldn't be Danny Phantom, would it?" Vlad sat down next to the reaper. "I don't think a nice girl like yourself would want to be in the company of such a _dangerous_ spirit like him."

"Danny's about as dangerous as a dandelion." Oleander raised an eyebrow. "How do you even know him?"

"…Let's just say he and I go _way_ back." Vlad smiled.

"Then maybe I have some use for you after all." Andy smiled. "… Though I do have one question for you."

"Anything my dear, shoot." Vlad leaned in towards the reaper slightly.

"Are you not getting a strange vibe from me?" Andy asked, making Vlad raise an eyebrow. "I mean… if you know Danny, then you should be able to recognize when someone's not… _normal_, right?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow…" Vlad tilted his head slightly, as Oleander stood and removed the staff from her bag, raising Vlad's chin with one end of it.

"Let me clear things up for you then, _Vlad_." Oleander smiled, as Vlad's face dropped into fearful recognition of what the woman in front of him really was. "I have been sent here to collect an errant soul. I will _not_ be sidetracked from my task, especially not by the likes of you."

"Oh yes, Danny has told me all about your little _indiscretions_, and as much as I'd like to have you dragged into Hell for judgement right here and now… I have better things to do." The reaper's blade started emerging from her staff to encircle Vlad's neck, forcing Masters to squirm backwards to avoid the jagged edge. "If you presume to know what's best for your well-being, I strongly recommend that you _go home_. Right now."

Vlad blinked at the reaper a few times as Andy withdrew her staff and returned it to it's home in her bag.

"The sooner you leave, the easier it is for me to say you were never here." Andy took a step back from the halfa and motioned for him to go.

As Vlad rose and started to leave, he didn't notice the white strip of cloth snaking it's way towards the reaper, until he turned around to have one last word with her.

The long strip of cloth had wound itself tightly around Oleander's head and torso, immobilizing her and starting to suffocate the reaper. As Vlad tried to make sense of what just happened, the demon raised it's head, showing a lamprey-like mouth, which bared it's teeth and hissed at the halfa.

"…Help the woman that just threatened my life… or go home like she told me to and leave her with… _whatever_ this thing is." Vlad held up his hands as he 'weighed' his options. "…Ah… well, I don't see the ghost boy… so I might as well do his job."

Vlad transformed into his Plasmius form and grabbed the first free piece of the demon he could, trying to wrench it free from Oleander's form.

"_This is not your fight, __**Ojisan**_" The demon's head popped back up again and spoke, it's voice reminiscent of cloth flapping in the breeze. "_Let me kill her._"

"Unfortunately, if I let you do that, then I'm getting the short end of the scythe as well… and I'd rather …delay …my descent …for as long …as possible!" Vlad started tugging at the demon more and more fervently with each moment.

"Vlad!" Sam's voice cut through the night air. "Get her staff!"

"Oh sure, **now** you show up!" Vlad rolled his eyes. "Pardon me, miss…"

Vlad turned his hand intangible and reached through the demon to get into Oleander's bag, extracting her staff.

"Now what?" Vlad called to the pair of teenagers heading quickly towards him, Danny flying ahead of Sam. "I'm not a reaper! I can't make it change!"

"Give it to me." Danny landed near the elder halfa and held his hand out.

"You can't use it either." Vlad scrunched up his face in confusion. "So what are you…"

Vlad cut himself short as the staff transformed in Danny's hands into a short-handled scythe, which the ghost boy used to slash at the demon, making it scream and release the reaper, disappearing into the night.

"…Thanks." Oleander rasped, coughing as Danny handed her back the staff. Turning to Vlad as she rubbed her neck, she continued. "I deputized Danny when I got here. So yes, he_can_ use my weapons."

"Are you all right?" Skulker asked as he and Tucker jogged up to the group.

"Yeah… I'm tough." Andy smiled weakly as she nodded. "At least now I know for _sure_ that Hibiki's not coming quietly… and I doubt he's playing anymore."

"Playing?" Vlad started. "What are you talking about?"

"The Ittan-momen that just attacked me is actually an eleven-year old boy who's obsessed with the occult side of his heritage. He used to be a pretty good kid… and then he got bored." Andy shrugged. "I suppose he could have picked something worse to throw at me."

"… I don't think I'm going home if that…_child_ is going to be out and about." Vlad returned to his mortal form. "Would you be willing to have me along?"

"You're just doing this for brownie points, aren't you." Oleander shot a deadpan look at the elder halfa.

"… So?" Vlad shrugged. "Nothing wrong with another set of eyes and ears, now, is there?"

"_Fine_." Andy crossed her arms. "But you have to do _exactly_ as I tell you."

"I'm good with that." Vlad answered.

"… Did we miss something?" Walker's voice caught the group's attention as he approached with Johnny and the Box Ghost.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Oleander IS dead… but so is Hibiki. As the Ittan-momen, he can cause her 'physical' damage. 

**Mythology/Language/Weaponry:**

Ittan-momen "Ghost Cotton" – This innocent looking spectre appears at first to be nothing more than a strip of white cloth about ten meters long fluttering through the night sky, until it drops onto it's unsuspecting victim and wraps itself tightly around the head and neck, attempting to suffocate it's prey.

Ojisan – can mean 'grandfather' or 'uncle'. Is normally used as an informal term towards an elder… so Hibiki just called Vlad 'old man'. Oh, snap!

Kama – Japanese sickle with a short scythe-shaped blade.


	9. Fries With Your Haunting?

A/N: I'd like to thank all my readers, watchers and everyone who's commented so far for helping me get this far~! I've got a lot on my plate and a short attention span, but knowing that there's a fair-sized audience for this makes me focus on getting this story done~ (Even though it's not the first one that I started for the Side Stories. XD)

* * *

"You haven't missed a thing." Andy straightened herself out. "But we need to get this kid. I don't want him trying to go after anyone else if he's starting to get this aggressive."

"I have one question before we go." Danny looked up at the reaper. "I think I get why Johnny's here… but… the Box Ghost?"

"I want to _contain_ Hibiki." Oleander shrugged. "I thought he would be useful in that respect."

"Makes sense." Danny nodded.

"Good. Now that we're all on the same page, let's get this done with." Oleander started down the street.

--

At the center of town, Oleander stopped, pulling a small skull on a chain out of her bag, holding it at arms' length.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Looking." Oleander closed her eyes, as the skull started swaying back and forth. "I have a feeling I know where Hibiki is, but the sun's coming up soon, and I don't want to be going in circles."

"What's so bad about the sun coming up?" Johnny asked. "Ghosts around here attack whenever they want."

"But Hibiki's not from around here." Oleander shrugged, as the charm pulled towards the Nasty Burger. "He's going to go into hiding for the day, and we'll never be able to find the little bugger."

The reaper grabbed the charm out of the air, turning in the direction it pointed. "What's that way?"

"The Nasty Burger." Tucker supplied. " Do you think he's gotten hungry?"

"Most likely." Oleander nodded, as the group started off. "The things he's doing take a _lot_ of spiritual energy."

As the group approached the Nasty Burger, it appeared to be abandoned, as if no one had been there in years.

"What happened here?" Vlad raised an eyebrow.

"This is just an illusion." Oleander shrugged, waving her hand in front of the chained up door to show that it was fine as the mist cleared.

"Should we take him here?" Skulker asked.

"No." Oleander shook her head. "I want to get him somewhere that won't have a lot of collateral damage. I don't want to have to do the paperwork."

The reaper pulled the doors open, and as the group ventured in, they heard something eating.

"That… that's him, right?" Sam asked.

"It should be." Oleander nodded, pointing to moving black tendrils behind the counter.

Danny approached the counter, peering over it to see the boy shoveling burgers into his mouth with his hands, while his hair had become tendrils that he was using to feed the mouth that had opened in the back of his head. Blanching slightly as he straightened, the ghost boy turned to Andy. "Yeah. That's creepy."

"My apologies. Would you prefer that I held my pinkie up?" The mouth at the back of the boy's head grinned creepily as he stood, wiping his face.

"Personally, I'd rather that you came quietly, Hibiki." Andy crossed her arms.

"No! It was boring down there!" The Japanese boy spun around, arms akimbo. "You can't make me go back!"

"Oh, yes I _can_." Oleander reached into her bag for her staff, using her other hand to vault herself over the counter.

Hibiki took off as Oleander ran after him, leaving the ghosts and mortals in her wake.

Danny blinked, realizing what just happened. "Hey! Wait for us!"

The group split up, Sam, Johnny, the Box Ghost and Walker heading out the front doors, Skulker and Tucker following Danny through the kitchen.

Oleander chased Hibiki out of the back of the Nasty Burger, running out into the parking lot as Walker rounded the corner, hoping to cut the little boy off before he got too far.

As Walker lunged for the kid, Hibiki turned into will-o-the-wisps and disappeared, flying off into multiple directions.

The group gathered in the parking lot, Oleander fuming as she put her scythe away.

"I don't believe that kid!" The reaper threw up her hands. "He is not going to like me when I get my hands on him…"

The reaper's phone rang, getting to Andy's last nerve. Digging it out, she flipped it open. "_**WHAT?! **_… Oh. My apologies, sir… yes. I haven't been able to get him pinned down yet. … No, he hasn't tried to leave the city. It shouldn't take more than another day… I know, sir. I will. Thank you."

Oleander sighed as she put her phone away. "I love my job… I love my job… I love my job."

"Problem?" Danny asked.

"Well, I just yelled at the Angel of Death, I'm running out of time to handle this on my own, and if I don't get this kid taken in by tomorrow night, we're going to have a visit from Supernatural Control." Oleander crossed her arms.

"Supernatural Control? I've never heard of them." Skulker raised an eyebrow.

"That's the point." Oleander nodded. "If they get involved, Hibiki won't be going back downstairs. …He won't be going anywhere, actually."

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"If they send who I think they will, Hibiki will be destroyed." Oleander rubbed the back of her neck. "I just want him to go back downstairs. He was in line to be reincarnated."

**

* * *

Mythology/Language/Weaponry:**

Futa-kuchi-onna – A woman afflicted with a curse that slowly turns her into a monster. Believed to stem from a woman who lets her stepchild die while ensuring her own children are well-fed, or a woman who never eats, sought by a miser as his wife. The back of her head slowly splits, forming a functioning second mouth. If it is not fed, the second mouth begins to mumble obscenities and screech, causing the woman extreme pain. Eventually, her hair begins to form tendrils that allow the mouth to help itself to the woman's meals, sometimes consuming twice as much food as the woman herself.


End file.
